Ketoconazole protects against infection with Trypanosoma cruzi in a murine model.

The oral administration of ketoconazole to mice protected them against death caused by infection with Trypanosoma cruzi. The addition of ketoconazole to cultures of macrophages infected with the organism markedly inhibited the intracellular multiplication of amastigotes. These observations suggest that ketoconazole may be a potent agent against T. cruzi and should be evaluated more extensively as a chemotherapeutic agent for Chagas' disease.